One form of contraception involves the occlusion of reproductive tracts, particularly, the Fallopian tubes in female subjects and the vas deferens in male subjects, with an embolic material and/or occluding device that acutely and/or chronically (following foreign body tissue reaction or epithelialization) blocks passage of sperm through the reproductive tract. Particular forms of occluding devices and systems and methods of inserting the occluding devices in the vas deferens or Fallopian tubes are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,096,052 and 6,432,116 and in commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001/0041900, 2005/0045183, 2005/0085844, 2005/0192616, 2005/0209633, and 2006/0009798, for example, certain features of which are embodied in the Ovion™ permanent contraceptive system sold by the assignee of the present invention. Further occluding devices and systems and methods for disclosing the occluding devices in Fallopian tubes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,763,833 and 6,709,667, for example.
The transvaginal and transcervical advance of the occluding device delivery catheter to dispose the occluding device in a selected Fallopian tube is aided through the use of an endoscope or hysteroscope that illuminates and provides visualization of the uterine cavity and the ostia of the Fallopian tubes. A flexible hysteroscope is disclosed in commonly assigned US Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0288551 that is employed to guide an occluding device installation catheter through the uterine cavity and into selected ostium of a selected Fallopian tube under such visualization.
It would be desirable to provide contraceptive occlusion systems that provide improved delivery systems, implant structures and configurations.